On July 10, 1974, Ambassador Rodger Davies, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, presented his credentials in Nicosia. He arrived on the small island at a tumultuous time with the ambitious goal of fostering a fair, long-term peace agreement between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.

Six weeks later, on August 19, 1974, Amb. Davies was assassinated. A sniper from 100 yards away shot him in the chest as he tried to keep his staff safe during a violent rally outside the embassy. The sniper was a member of the Greek Cypriot paramilitary group, EOKA-B, responsible for the coup d’état that overthrew the government just one month before.

Cyprus

Today, thirty-eight years later, the same cultural and political tensions that led to the assassination of Amb. Davies, and prompted the arrival of Turkish peacekeeping troops continue to divide the island to the detriment of its people, its national security, its financial stability and its future economic opportunities. The history of this discord holds the key to reuniting the two faces of Cyprus and commencing a new era of peaceful co-existence.

1963 marked a pivotal year in the history of this dispute. Up until this point the Republic of Cyprus had been a peaceful partnership state with political power divided proportionally between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. However, the situation rapidly devolved when Greek Cypriot members of the government abolished the constitution’s articles that protected the governing rights of the Turkish Cypriots who were subsequently forced to withdraw from the government. Since this time the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has remained the only internationally recognized authority in the bicommunal state.

Cyprus became further destabilized and in 1964 a UN Peacekeeping Force arrived to prevent further bloodshed and protect the Turkish Cypriots. Newspapers at the time, including the Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor, documenting the plight of the Turkish Cypriot peoples reported that they were subjected to extreme violence. Amidst this disorder, the leader of the UN Peacekeeping Force, Major-General Peter Young, drew the island’s first “Green Line,” a demilitarized buffer zone. The Green Line divided the once open island into a northern Turkish Cyprus and a southern Greek Cyprus.

In 1974 Amb. Davies could not have foreseen that five days after his arrival in Cyprus the EOKA-B, would launch a bloody coup overthrowing President and Archbishop Makarios III and installing in his place the more hardline NikosSampson. Six weeks later, EOKA-B would strike again, this time taking the life of a revered international peacekeeper.

Over the past 30 years, the United Nations and various international partners have tried in vain to unite the island and create a long-term governing structure that protects the rights of both ethnic communities. In 2004, then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed a comprehensive plan to break the stalemate andfacilitate a political partnership between the two communities. The plan was finalized after dozens of meetings and summits with heads of state, diplomats, and international bodies. When put to the Cypriot citizens for a vote, the Turkish Cypriot population voted “yes” and the Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly voted against it. Recent UN sponsored peace talks initiated in 2008 have not made much progress, essentially reaching a stalemate, hampered by the vote four years ago.

The Republic of Cyprus (Southern Cyprus) is now the President of the European Union. Yet, due to an embargo established by the Republic of Cyprus, the benefits of EU membership have not inured at all to the benefit of the people in the North, primarily because Greek Cypriots take the position that, for all intents and purposes, Northern Cyprus and its peoples do not exist.

Today, on this anniversary, Turkish Cypriots remain steadfast in their support of a plan to unify the island. Right now Southern Cyprus has an unprecedented opportunity to encourage the Greek Cypriots to become active and willing participants in international unification negotiations. Hope for the future of Cyprus, and an end to the longstandingconflict, will only be achieved through examination of the country’s history, and by remembering those such as Ambassador Davies, who wanted nothing morethan for the country to succeed.

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For decades, Turkish Cypriots have tried tireleslly to come to an agreement with the Greek Cypriots. Kofi Annan’s 2004 proposal is the most recent example of Greek Cypriots’ refusal to reach any kind of compromise with the Turkish Cypriots. Unfortunately, there can not be a solution with out BOTH sides coming together. We can only hope that Ambassador Davies’ death was not in vain, and that the conflict between both sides is solved soon.

Imagine how much we would have been hearing from various Congressmen in states like California, MAryland, New York, Michigan and Massachusetts if a U.S. Ambassador would have been assassinated not by a Greek, but by a Turk? Yet, amazingly, despite this assassination (and several others) by Greek terrorists, there are no sanction, no pressure, no word about the wrongdoings by the Greek side. IF they could assassinate a U.S. Ambassador – and get away with it – imagine what they were doing to the ethnic Turks in Cyprus in the years 1960-1974?

Great reminder about the assassination of Ambassador Davies, which brings light to the situation that led to the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation by the Turkish Armed Forces. The operation was a necessary action taken in compliance with the international treaties, to restore order and to prevent a genocide. And those U.S. legislators who, under the influence of ethnic special interest groups, sponsor resolutions to allege Turkish colonization of Cyprus or to deprive the Turkish Cypriots of the right to exist, should remind themselves of these facts first.

Unfortunately, the same mindset that led to the assassination of the Ambassador Davies continues to prevent the country from uniting to this day. It’s interesting how one-sided much of the media about this issue has been and it’s great to read an assessment from an objective and historical viewpoint. We need to remember what created the conflict in this country and understand the rights of both the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots if this issue is to be resolved. It is often considered the responsibility of the Turks to further indulge the demands of the Greek Cypriots and it is often forgotten the great effort and dedication Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots have already shown in searching for a solution.

I applaud G. Lincoln McCurdy for presenting an objective analysis regarding the “search for solution in Cyprus.”

In order to move forward, one must analyze the past. The historical facts in Cyprus are often overlooked and the present problems are bypassed for the sake of maintaining the status quo. Denying the present tensions and unresolved problems is a disservice to the legacy of Ambassador Davies, as well as those whose lives were sacrificed during the conflict. The reality is that the island is encompassed by both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, for them this is the only place they have known to be home. Once this issue is viewed from an objective lens, one cannot deny the existence of Turkish Cypriots, and consequently their rights as a people. It is essential – and frankly overdue – for the global powers to accept the fact that Turkish Cypriots do exist. After accepting this reality, we can then take the next step in planning peaceful coexistence.

I hope more objective articles surface on the Cyrpus issue and lead to honest discourse. Progress can be made …

My father was born a Turkish Cypriot and is an American citizen. Since my birth, we traveled in the summer every two years to visit our Cypriot relatives. I have seen the United Nations border and I have visited the Turkish Cypriot genocide museum. Both sides provide their own propaganda, but it is important to remember that because of the EU embargo and not recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, these people have not only survived but thrived. Visitors from around the world spend their holidays there. The uncommercialized Northern part is seen as a treasure. We landed at the Larnaca airport one summer and enroute to catch our plane, were questioned and treated like terrorists. I saw this firsthand. Until the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized and treated as an equal with the Greek Cypriots, there will be no end to the longstanding conflict.

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